In a first of its kind step aimed at deterring potential terrorists from carrying out future attacks against Israeli civilians, the government has decided not to hand over the bodies of the two terrorists behind Tuesday’s deadly massacre to their families, Channel 10 reports.
The Prime Minister’s Office, however, tells The Times of Israel it is unaware of the directive.
The Channel 10 report states that the government rejected a plea by the families’ attorney to receive the bodies and prepare them for burial.
A relative displays photos of cousins Ghassan, right, and Uday Abu Jamal at the family home in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber, Tuesday Nov. 18, 2014 (photo credit: AP/Mahmoud Illean)
A police official says the unprecedented move was ordered by Israel’s top political body, but did not elaborate, Channel 10 reports.
The official says the state may bury the terrorists on its own, effectively barring the families from holding funerals for the two.
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